280,000-Square-Foot Ice Skating Facility Opens at OC Great Park

Whether you’re practicing triple salchows or tying your laces for the first time, the new Great Park Ice facility is open for public skating sessions as of Wednesday, Jan. 2.

The long anticipated 280,000-square-foot rink – part of the Anaheim Ducks RINKS network – has been under construction since February 2017.

Though two of the four ice sheets, a restaurant and Ducks team store aren’t quite finished, the public is invited to check out the facility and take a whirl on the two completed ice sheets, said Art Trottier, vice president of the Anaheim Ducks RINKS, which runs ice facilities in Anaheim and four other cities in the region.

The Ducks will continue practicing at the Honda Center, their home ice, but they’ll also use the new $104 million Great Park rink when the arena is hosting other events.

Great Park Ice offers several open skate sessions during the week and on weekends, and the public is welcome to drop by for other events, such as broomball, youth hockey tournaments and figure skating, or just to take a look around.

"The opening of the Great Park Ice facility is an important milestone that adds to the already unparalleled recreational experiences for Irvine residents and visitors. Along with the other sports venues at the Great Park, the new skating rinks will contribute to the economic health of the city as they attract visitors from throughout the region, the nation, and the world," said Bryan Starr, President and CEO, Greater Irvine Chamber.

Three of the regulation National Hockey League-sized ice sheets can seat about 500 to 600 spectators, and the fourth – known as the FivePoint Arena – is an Olympic-sized venue that seats 2,500 people.

The facility will be open daily from about 5 a.m. to midnight, and it was planned to have plenty of public access, Trottier said. It was privately financed by a foundation funded by Ducks owners Henry and Susan Samueli, but is expected to be turned over to the city after a long-term lease of up to 50 years expires.

“We can’t wait to get the whole building open,” Trottier said. “We’d like the public to just come take a look at it.”

A formal grand opening celebration is set for March 7.

If you go

What: Great Park Ice, a skating facility that will also host figure skating, hockey tournaments and Anaheim Ducks practices, opens to the public.